It ended with the primal scream of the man laying flat on his back as Novak Djokovic produced a career defining performance in overcoming Rafael Nadal 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7(5), 7-5 in a magnificent finale to the 100^th edition of the Australian Open. In a match that was definitely a slow burner, it exploded into incandescence at the end as the world’s best tennis players produced a gladiatorial contest that kept us engrossed for an exhausting 5hours 53minutes – the longest slam final ever. If we ever needed proof that Novak Djokovic has the heart, desire and willingness to give everything he’s got, we got all that and more as the Serb running on fumes overcame the greatest challenge he’s ever faced to win his 3^rd slam in a row. Equally, any doubts about Rafael Nadal were laid to rest as he threw the kitchen sink at Djokovic but came up just short in a 7^th consecutive loss to his rival.

It was a match of undulating fortunes as Novak’s sluggish start gave Nadal the early advantage before some vintage Djokovic tennis allowed him to dominate the middle portion of the match upto the brink of a four set win. Rafa however willed himself on in a display of bullishness characteristic of the man, and took control of a classic tie break to take the match into a decider. And what a scintillating decider it was! Rafa racing around like an Energiser bunny drew first blood breaking a seemingly exhausted Djokovic to take a 4-2 lead. But the Serb who moved like a wrapped up mummy between points, put in a reasonable impersonation of Superman during them, digging deep and finding a way to mount a comeback to take a famous victory. The emotions at the end were evident as the World No.1 took off his shirt and walked deliberately to his box letting loose a roar of glory right through. It isn’t very often that the cliché “tennis is the winner” is appropriately used, but this was most definitely living embodiment of that statement.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Horia Tecau were crowned the Australian Open Mixed Doubles Champions with a hard fought 6-3, 5-7, [10-3] win over the no.5 seeds Elena Vesnina and Leander Paes.

The Indo-Russian pair started the match very slowly, losing the first 8 points in a row to fall 2-0 behind in just 4 minutes. Leander in particular was considerably off-colour and did not appear to have his game face on in the first set.

Mattek-Sands and Tecau cruised through the opening set 6-3 and looked on course for an easy win as they went up an early break in the second set. The American - Romanian pair held on to that advantage till a short 6-7 minute rain delay halted the final.

It's the moment tennis fans have been waiting for. After a 13 day concoction consisting of the highs of victory and the lows of defeat, the 2012 Australian Open is geared up for an enthralling climax as the top two players in the world, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, clash for the prestigious Norman Brookes Challenge Cup on the hallowed Rod Laver Arena on Sunday evening. The players will become the first pair in the Open Era to face each other in three consecutive championship matches and quite unsurprisingly, the big question doing the rounds is: will Novak Djokovic overcome his respiratory problems to win his third Australian Open crown or will the 2009 champion Rafael Nadal dethrone him and add an 11th slam to his already glittering collection?

(Click here for the Match Report)

The defending champion Djokovic has had an interesting passage to the final. Djokovic began the tournament from where he left off last year, dominating his opposition from the word go. After demolishing his opponents in the first three rounds, he finally showed signs of being a mortal by losing his first set of the tournament in a Round 4 match against Aussie veteran Lleyton Hewitt. His next match, the quarter-final against David Ferrer, did see him gasping for breath in between but he eventually came through that one in straight sets.

Excellence in doubles revolves around the highest degree of coordination and anticipation. On Day 13 of the 2012 Australian Open, Leander Paes added the missing Australian Open title to his otherwise glittering career portfolio as he alongwith Czech partner Radek Stepanek surprised the defending champions and the holder of 11 Grand Slam titles, Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan, 7-6 6-2 in the final on Rod Laver Arena in a display of copy-book doubles.

The first set was an evenly contested affair. The Bryans’ plan to target the presumable weak link, Radek Stepanek, didn’t seem to pay any dividends as the highly animated Czech was producing some remarkable service returns and delectable volleys. With an 83 percent first serve percentage and an impressive winners’ count of 22, the unseeded Indo-Czech pairing took the set 7-1 in the tie-break after neither team was able to really challenge the other on serve.

The eternal bridesmaid, Victoria Azarenka finally stepped out of the shadow and into the limelight as she captured her first slam with a stunning 6-3, 6-0 victory over Maria Sharapova. In a scoreline that slightly belied the ebbs and flows of the match, Azarenka overcame a nervy start, came up tops by taking the initiative at a crucial moment in the first set, stamped her domination and maintained her composure at the finish line, before sinking to her knees to celebrate a richly deserved triumph. In a case of having her cake and eating it too, Azarenka also took over the No.1 ranking, toppling slamless Wozniacki from her long held perch, as her cup of joy overfloweth.

For Sharapova it was a case of déjà vu as just months after being overpowered by Kvitova at Wimbledon, she once again came out second best against the new generation in the big game. Her path back though has only grown stronger and with her serve now getting back to its original level, is sure to remain a threat and another slam shouldn’t be too far away.

After almost two weeks of riveting tennis action in the 2012 Australian Open, we are down to the two best ladies. Day 13 will see first time slam finalist Victoria Azarenka and three time slam winner Maria Sharapova grunting it out for the coveted Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup on a packed Rod Laver Arena. Both ladies have been in sublime form in the first slam of the year and would leave no stone unturned to cross the final hurdle and emerge champion. And of course, there is the added bonus for the prospective winner: No.1 rank in the WTA charts to be released next week.

22 year old Belarusian Victoria Azarenka has come a long way since her main draw debut at the 2006 Australian Open. From a temperamental and irritable 16 year old talent in 2006, she has blossomed into a stoic professional who knows how to get the job done. She was very close to a breakthrough last year - losing to the eventual winners Li Na and Petra Kvitova in the quarters of Roland Garros and semi-finals of Wimbledon respectively. And she has begun 2012 with a bang, winning the build-up event to the Australian Open at Sydney which featured all the top names in the women's game. Azarenka, as is evident from her recent spate of victories, is a woman on a mission.